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Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Trek 1- The Lost Map.

“Like
jilted nomads, they walked across mountains and hills, got themselves
stranded in that world unknown and crossed rivers till there was no more
sweat to wipe off their brows….”

The inception of this trip happened when we decided we’d
trek farther than we ever have, in the ever so beautiful and enchanting
Nallamalla forest in Srisailam.

Zia, Prashant and myself during our usual weekend meetups,
discussed what more we could extract out of Srisailam, to make our next trek memorable.

A Bacardi Black-currant Breezer was served. In unison we
struck our bottles and exclaimed ‘cheers!’ It was just the thing to kick-start our
flow of smart juices. We had trekked until Akkamahadevi already once and it was
a great experience and each of us got to take back something special from
there. We knew there was a place called
“Kadalivanam” which is a place of pilgrimage, but isn't active throughout the
year. We decided we should be able to get to Kadalivanam in a day’s trek.

With the initial plan done, we were yet to decide on a date
to set off on the trek. Zia, in the meanwhile decided to scout the place on his
own and left for the destination, with his camera, tripod and a basic survival
kit.

He completed the Akkamahadevi trek, boarded a Coracle (theppa
or putti in Telugu)from
this side of the bank to the other side, so he could halt at the Ashram for a
few minutes and leave for Kadalivanam. All this was amid strife resistance from
people he’d met on the way, asking him not to do this on his own. He followed
his instincts and reached the Ashram.

To keep this short and to continue with the real deal, I’m
going to cut-short further details without detailed description---

Zia was asked not to continue till Kadalivanam at the Ashram
as well. He carried on and later returned after walking for a while, since he
had to get back to Hyderabad and work on Monday.

“One
man’s unstoppable approach may seem foolhardy to one and justified to
another….”

The Real Deal

We decided we’d leave the coming weekend itself. The final
group after exchanging multiple emails was zeroed in to be Zia, Prashant,
Chandra and myself. We had planned to leave at 12PM on Friday so as to reach
the destination in time.

We left on time and reached Mehdipatnam to drink tea. It was
then that VJ Karan called us and told us he’d join us too. Saying NO was never
going to be an option but we were apprehensive because it would delay us even
more. He stays about 25 kms from where we were and that-coupled with Hyderabadi
traffic is enough to get one thinking about time.

We unanimously decided that we’d wait for VJ and would leave
with him. It was then that we decided to re-stock our Medical kit and re-think
about other essentials for the trek. I went and re-stocked the medical kit
while Chandra bought a Tarpaulin sheet, about 15’x12’. It was his brilliant
idea and you will later know why I call that move a brilliant one.

Chai after Chai and cigarettes after cigarettes, we whiled
away our time until VJ came to Mehdipatnam. He reached at around 1:40 PM and we
left without waiting. We hit the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and Zia claimed this
territory to be his own, like he knew it at the back of his head. He missed the
left we had to take, in spite of me asking him to take that left. That, along
with VJ’s delay triggered a series of events which would decide the course of
the next 20 hours.

“There
are always 2 roads one can take. One’s a shorter, easier one while the other
one is a longer, harder and a more fruitful one…..”

We were driving towards further delay on the ORR, to find a
gap in the median so we could get back on track. We drove 11 kms away from
Srisailam much before we left Hyderabad’s boundaries, which would mean 11 kms
again on the right path to reach Srisailam- a total of 22kms at least. Well,
that would prove to be the least of our worries, soon. Anyhow, we hit the right
path and we made sure we stopped nowhere.

We covered distance and time very well and reached
Vatavarlapalli at 5:45 PM. Vatavarlapalli is where one can find the famed
Mallelatheertham falls. A sight like none other, with tall trees mimicking a
canopy and the stream dropping into an almost perfect circular pond, not before
caressing the jagged slate stone monolithic cliff.

However, this wasn't our destination. We parked the Beast at a Dhaba
and ordered 20 rotis, 5 burjis(scrambled eggs) and stocked ourselves with 2
litres of water each. Oh and did I miss introducing the Beast? The Beast is
Zia’s Mahindra Quanto- an integral part of our recent escapades.

While food was getting ready, the locals began throwing
questions at us and we told them we’re going to Akkamahadevi. Every single one
of those locals asked us not to go, because there were many cases of Bear
attacks reported in the recent past. Secondly, they asked us to postpone it for
later because the weather mascot predicted Thunder showers for the next 72
hours in that area. We faced some resistance and uncertainty internally as
well, with Prashant and Chandra voting for a post-pone while Zia and VJ were ok
with either. I pushed them into this and proved myself the tougher one, only to
realise something else later on…….

The light looks good. Watch out guys, not for long!

To our luck, a bus stopped by without us having to wait for
long. We rushed into it and bought a ticket to Domalapenta. After spending 30
minutes standing in the super-fast bus, we got down mid-way at the Akkamahadevi
trek start-point.

The Trek Route. The blue dots show the Akkamahadevi trek. White dots show the Kadalivanam Trek.

Time check- 6:50
PM.

Light check-
Decent. Should last for 40 odd minutes more at least, we thought.

Distance to cover-
7 kms.

Gear check- All
good.

Boot check- Laces
tethered properly.

So the trek begins!F-B: Chandra, Zia, Vijay Karan and Prashant.

We began walking briskly and maintained a surprising measure
of concentration without diverting ourselves, since we had to reach
Akkamahadevi before nightfall. The terrain was lusher than it was when we
explored it 2 years ago.

I was leading with either Prashant or Zia walking last, to
keep the unit together. We crossed the half-way point in about 20 minutes, which meant we covered over 3.5 kms.
Pretty decent pace to maintain with dwindling light and the terrain riddled
with rocks, pebbles and bushes.

At about 7:10 PM,
it went dark all of a sudden and I kept walking along the trail with everyone
following closely. We hadn't spoken all this while, which actually was a quite
a feat in itself.

Time check: 7:20 PM
and we’re doing pretty fine. The trail was getting harder to spot because twilight was soon approaching. Yet, we
walked on.

7:30 PM: Boom! I
turned around and asked everyone to stop. The trail suddenly went missing. We
couldn't identify where we were. We backtracked and we got lost even more. And
all of a sudden, there was darkness everywhere. We could see nothing. We had no
clue where we were setting our feet.

I looked up the compass and I knew we had to go South East,
to reach Akkamahadevi. But without a trail, we’d be putting ourselves in great
danger. We were in the middle of the core part of the forest.. And Lost!

The grass in that area was well over 3 feet in height.
Everything told me it was perfect Tiger territory. It wasn't the time to worry or get tensed
about the situation, because no matter what we’d do, there were more chances of
putting ourselves into trouble in pursuit of getting either back to where were
started from, or reaching the destination. It was then that we decided that
we’d setup camp. We walked cautiously for a few minutes and found an open spot
devoid of grass and foliage. That was the perfect spot to setup camp. Having
found the spot, we thought we’d try our luck with finding the trek trail one
last time. We turned back 180 degrees and walked for about 30-40 seconds. When
we found nothing, we turned 180 degrees again and walked back to the open spot.
We walked for over a minute and couldn't find the open spot we decided to camp
in.

Such is nature. You let yourself wander for a bit and you
will later realise you are lost. We spotted another piece of open spot with a
couple of trees around it. We wasted no time and began setting up fire. Finding
dry wood and grass was more than just a challenge, because of the torrential
rains throughout the week.

“When
your instincts push you to protect yourself and those around you in such
times, it's almost like 10 Men of Steel make their way into you and you then
end up doing unimaginable things!!”

We snapped a young, dying, dry tree and used it for
firewood. I passed my sorries to the tree, for I would never have done this
unless we definitely needed it for survival. We couldn't believe our eyes that
we were technically lost for only 30 minutes. Yet, it felt like we were lost
for over an hour. Time was passing at its slowest possible pace.

Time check- 8:00
PM.

Weather Check- Very
Cloudy.

Light check- Super
Dark.

Gear Check- Still
all good.

Boot Check- Tethered
securely.

Health Check- Everyone’s
fine.

Distance to cover-
Not more than 4 kms.

We struck a conversation about how we could have avoided this
situation if VJ had come along with us without delaying and if Zia didn't sway off
track initially. We also spoke about how good the decision of postponing this
trek for the next day would have been. All said and done, we finally stuck as a
unit and decided to enjoy this unplanned adventure. We were all hungry, for we
started with empty stomachs. All we had was the Tea wiggling and lashing at our
stomach walls.

9:30 PM: Tip tap,
tip tap; heavy drops of water began falling on our heads and smothered the
fire. The wood gave out a ghastly hiss. We had to setup tent—and NOW! Right
next to us was an arched dry shrub. We quickly undid the Tarpaulin sheet and
hauled it across the shrub. With a Victorinox Swiss Pocket Knife, we fastened
the sheet to the shrub and the other side of it to heavy, yet not so heavy
rocks. And Lo! We had a decent tent to take shelter in! The need of the hour
and perfect team work presented to us the most beautiful tent we’d ever seen.
It was done in 15 minutes. We now had a
make-shift tent, thanks to Chandra’s instinctive brilliance(Remember the brilliant idea I was hinting at, previously?)!

With clockwork like precision, Chandra, VJ and me began
picking up burning splinters from the open spot and dumped them into one open
side of the tent. We needed it. Fire is essential. It is life. It often, is
hope when in the wild. We seated ourselves inside the tent and the drizzle got
heavier until it turned into heavy, relentless rain. In seconds, the fire went
poof and we were sitting inside the tent, in complete darkness. We had shelter,
but we weren't safe. Zia and me went out and collected fallen branches. We
reinforced the tent from the outside. We setup a perimeter so no animal could
enter easily. We had only one open side now, technically…..

11:00 PM: We had by this time grown tired of the
merciless downpour and were busy scanning the perimeter for any movement. The
light’s focus from the torch was strong and it went out as a straight beam. So
concentrated that nothing next to the circular light spot could be seen, but
everything within was crystal clear! The 5 of us thought time couldn't have
passed any slower in any part of the universe that day.

We had greater problems to face. Our stomachs were growling
and snarling with hunger. Something had to be dumped into them to shut them up.
We had 20 awesome rotis and 5 wonderful egg burjis. Awesome and Wonderful,
because they could have been our last meals and because they were all we had in
terms of solid food. We had Glucose and biscuits but they wouldn't serve the
purpose. We were more than just
apprehensive about opening them and eating them, because the smell was strong
and we didn't want to attract wild animals and add an unnecessary element to
our accidental adventure. We decided we'd fast through the night. Water and
cigarettes.

11:30 PM: The
rain showed no plans of stopping for the next few hours. The skies were the
darkest and the forest was at its quietest. Just when we thought it’ll all be
quiet, Prashant, Chandra, Zia and VJ stacked their heads on each other to
concentrate on something that was approaching towards us. I was least bothered,
because the animal sound didn't feel threatening. They began scanning the
immediate area for it. Found nothing. This went on for a good 5 minutes before
the sound stopped. Whatever that
creature was, was very close to us and we could hear sounds every now and
then. Our curiosity got the better of us
and we finally identified the creature. It was a Frog. A medium sized one. Not
even a Bull Frog!!

We had a laugh and that helped with whiling the time away.

“Nature’s
full of surprises with every step we take. One’s preconceived notion
determines whether the result is a surprise or a shock!”

12:30 AM: The
downpour was still heavy and hadn't stopped for a minute. The five of us had
usual boy talks and I suddenly realised our pants were getting wet. Quite a
timing to for that to happen, I thought! I stood up and noticed that the ground
beneath our asses was soggy and murky. In no time, the murky mud turned into a
pool and we all had to stand up. We were so strategically screwed! So many
events happening at quick intervals ever since we left from Hyderabad?
Something surely was amiss. We stood for about half an hour and our hungry and
tired bodies sent a clear message to our thankless souls- “Are you going to let
me sit… Or Not?”

Clicking this picture was a feat in itself, considering the downpour. Good job, Chandra!

L-R: Prashant, Vijay Karan, Zia, Rohit

All of us braved out into the open while it was still
raining and picked up decently sized rocks to throne ourselves on. It felt like this was our
only as(s)piration, ass if our asses and thighs would disintegrate if we didn't find a place to
sit. Was it going to be that easy? Really? The rain got heavier and the pool of
water got higher. The rock was of no help to me and Chandra. We were back to
standing and crouching. I think the pain gave up at some point of time and
hunger was the next big thing. We decided we’d open a few biscuit packets and
munch on them. Finally! Our stomachs had something better to concentrate on and stop
bothering us. Chandra and I decided to sit on our thrones nevertheless, even if
it meant our calves and shoes would go wet. Since none of us had proper sleep
for the last 24 hours, thanks to the odd timings we all work in, we needed to
switch our bodies off for at least a couple of hours.

1:30 AM: Two
people would get a shut eye for an hour or more while the three zombies would keep
vigil and scan the perimeter, we decided. Prashant and Chandra went first and
the night progressed without surprises and the rain showed signs of decreasing
as well. VJ Karan switched off sometime after the half hour mark too. Zia and I
were talking about how much we yearned for an adventure and now, it has
presented itself to us. We couldn’t have asked for any better we thought.

2:00 AM: People
got back to taking rest and at some point of time, even Zia, along with
Prashant, Chandra and VJ took a nap. Since the night was still and the rains
considerably reduced danger from wild animals, I didn’t bother waking him up. I
scanned the perimeter continuously and I at some point of time was lost in
thoughts.

What followed was something one would only expect from a
movie, especially Thrillers or Horrors.

Snap! The sound shocked us and sent chills through our
spines. Time froze all of a sudden and I saw water splash on our bags and a little
of it on Prashant. It was almost as if everything happened super-fast and at a
super slow pace, like bullet time (Gamers will be able to relate with this). Such
was the paradox. I’m pretty sure the transition to what happened next would not
have been more than a second or two. The tip of the main blade from the
unfolded and locked Victorinox Pocket Knife was at less than an inch away from
my Family Jewels! I froze in shock and saw an equally if not
more shocked Zia holding the blade, startled by what had just happened. I very
cautiously asked Zia to withdraw the knife and fold it back, before something else happens and he thrusts the blade forward! There was a dead-calm; we took a breather and then broke into laughter
at what happened and the reason for it!

So what really happened? -- The wind and pockets of water on
the tent forced the supporting rod to fall off position. The dead calm of the
rainy forest night doubled our shock. We now had a great problem at hand. We
had to pee. It was still raining and was incredibly dark, so much that we
couldn't see anything without the torch. One by one, we took turns and the
torch had to be aimed at the forest floor, from between the legs. We passed the
ordeal and relieved ourselves of the growing pressure.

“Many
a times, a satisfying leak can bring more happiness and peace to the soul
than a first kiss, driving a fast vehicle and bagging a great job, all put
together!”

Time went by pretty quickly after that and the intense rain
that it was, now was no more than a drizzle. But the damage was already done-
the forest floor would be wet, the grass would be slippery and we had to be
cautious when stepping on rocks and stones, especially during the descent we
thought. The forest decided to throw us another surprise, if the previous one
wasn't enough to keep us alert and awake.

We heard a bark, very different from a dog’s, but a bark it
was. From the sound, we could guess the direction and it was very close to our
posh tarpaulin villa! The frequency of the sound increased and we grew restless
because dogs can be the most irritating and torturing animals in the jungle.
They travel in packs. After much searching and concentrating on the source of
the sound, we found him! He was right outside the perimeter we had built, right
outside the tent, about 3-4 feet from us. The fucker was small. Very small. He
was a frog! That, right there, was a major facepalm moment and we cursed our stars
to have given us more than we wanted, while thanking the same stars in a
parallel universe for adding entries after entries to our adventure!

This is an important mention- We did video logs regularly
during the trip and we did one while building the tent, after we seated
ourselves on rocks when the floor got murky and now as well. The four of them very coolly took my name as the instigator. These nasty fellas didn't spare a thought about outcomes should anything have gone bad. I would have been blamed, because of their outrageous allegations!

We added our views
and documented our experience and also at some point, thought it would make a
good addition to the Found-Footage genre of films, should
anything happen to all of us! The turn of events forced our stomachs into
growling uncontrollably and we decided we should eat some biscuits. We deserved
at least that, if not those heavenly rotis and egg burjis. That was our grub
and surprisingly none of us complained about it!

3:00 AM: I
decided to get a shut eye as well and I dozed off within seconds. I could hear
the 4 of them talking every now and then between pure silence. The perimeter
scan was still ON and every person awake was active, whilst only wishing for a faster
daybreak.

4:30 AM: I woke up and it was still dark. The blackest
of darks. It had stopped raining and we were all awake now. We were waiting for
sunrise so the next 3-4 kilometres can be covered within an hour at the
most. What was surprising and worth mentioning is that none of us were low on
morale. The last 8 hours gave us more happiness and peace than we could have
expected. We always wanted something like this and time decided to surprise us
when we’d least expect one. We spoke a lot and soon saw signs of daybreak in
about an hour.

5:30 AM: Sunrise!!
The thick jungle meant that we’d have to wait for a few more minutes before it
would be bright enough for us to start packing and continue with our trek.

This is where nature’s amazing! The actual transition from
pitch dark to twilight to pleasant and decent day light was between 20-30
minutes. The Sun rises and sets faster than we imagine, it’s one place at
an instant and at another place with a good variation in degree in a matter of
minutes.

We quickly got out and surveyed the area. The foliage was
the greenest of the greens and the freshest one could ever find. The rain had
transformed the terrain completely. There were puddles of water everywhere and
it was wet everywhere, which goes without a question. We took a couple of
pictures of ourselves inside the tent and the surroundings, while the camera on
the tripod was still recording everything. We quickly undid the tent, cleaned
the place, collected everything inorganic and dumped it into our waste bag to make sure the forest was clear of waste.
Right next to our tent were animal footprints. It was difficult to guess what
animal’s it could have been. The rain had washed it away. It was a decent size,
about 3 inches wide. Could have been a Dog, a Deer, a Bear, a Tiger, could have
been anything. Because we couldn't tell which animal it was, I’d rather call it
footprint rather than call it a claw mark, pug mark or a hoof print.

Picture of our tent just before proper daylight.

L-R: Prashant, VJ, Zia & Chandra

We were now equipped with renewed confidence, now that we
had light on our side. We had been through this part of the jungle already in
the past and we knew which direction the destination was! Child’s play we
thought! Child’s play indeed!

Time check- 5:40
AM.

Weather Check- Slightly
Cloudy.

Light check- Bright
and awesome

Gear Check- Still
all good.

Boot Check- Tethered
securely.

Health Check- Everyone’s
hungry, yet fine.

Distance to cover-
Not more than 4 kms.

We began walking South-East towards Akkamahadevi while
appreciating the flora and the terrain. It was beyond beautiful. Every tree,
plant, leaf, flower, web and even rocks looked young, energised and fresh! We
had been walking for over 20 minutes and we couldn’t find the trail we wandered
off the previous evening. After a quick discussion, we decided we’d cut through
the forest without wasting any more time and head South-East and reach the
cliff. Cutting through the forest would mean we’d probably cut down on distance
when compared to the curving original trail.

Anyhow, we walked without wasting time and we came across
Sambar scats very regularly and we hoped to catch a glimpse of the animal in
the wild as well.

We had been walking for a little over 20 minutes and over 4
kilometres surely on a declining terrain, but there was no trace of the cliff
whatsoever. We could only see the thick jungle, riddled with stones, rocks,
medium sized trees and all kinds of grass in every direction. We re-checked our
direction and we were South-Eastwardly bound.
We continued walking and this went on for about an hour longer- Still no
trace of the cliff or the river.

Over-confidence definitely consumed us and we realized we
were lost and we probably drifted into the wider side of the mountain top. We
knew the distance towards the cliff could not be too much and we re-estimated
and calculated the path we should take. We decided we’d continue walking SE and
we did.

Wet, Lush Green terrain with a decent decline.

6:20 AM: The walk
was getting difficult. Each step had to be taken with care, thanks to the rain.
The terrain hardly was flat anywhere and was riddled with rocks and stones.
Every step of ours either had to be placed on the curvy shiny slippery stones
or the grass between the stones. Grass was slippery too and to avoid surprises
from our reptilian friends, rocks and stones won the best choice award. Prashant
was leading with Chandra and VJ following him. Either Zia or I were trailing
behind.

Still no sign of the cliff or the river……. Lost, we were….

6:50 AM:

Prashant suddenly froze in his tracks and almost looked like
a statue with his arms spread out wide. We were puzzled and that was a funny
moment as well. As we neared, we saw a huge, intricate network of webs like one
would find in a stereotypical horror flick. My first guess, from the density of
the webs was that it’s a Wooden Spider’s lair. We got closer and Prashant was
inches away from the web and the beautiful creature was right there at the
centre, basking in the jungle’s serenity. It resembled the Wooden Spider, but
it wasn’t that. It was palm sized alright, but bulky and round, unlike the palm
sized, but long Wooden Spider. Probably the Wooden Spider’s cousin we thought.
The shutterbugs in us clicked a few pictures of it and we continued with the
walk. Later research told me that this was a Wasp Spider.

A Female Wasp Spider in all her glory :)

So the Snails decided to mate!

Almost as if a déjà vu, Prashant froze in his tracks, again
with his arms spread out wide, but this time he exclaimed “Cliff!!.” We
were happy beyond measure. The point looked very different from the one we were
supposed to reach, but a cliff’s a cliff and we should be able to scale down
and reach Akkamahadevi, we thought.

Shock and Surprise was what this trip had in store for us
and this time was going to be no different. When we got to the edge, there was
no sign of the river nor could we understand where we were. We definitely
strayed away from our path by a great deal. The point was breathtakingly
beautiful and we thought we’d take a couple of selfies(Self-clicks) and group
pics. We gathered our composure and then surveyed the landscape. We decided
that we’ll need to move left, alongside the cliff, so we don’t lose it again.
This conclusion was based on the below points:

The river extends to never ending lengths on the
left, but ends on the right side, when seen from Akkamahadevi.

We probably were closer to the Crocodile harvest
point, than we were to Akkamahadevi, since the River seemed to turn to its left
right under or much beyond the mountain.

The terrain opposite Akkamahadevi is not that
heavy. There are a couple of island like parts and there’s water. There were
only mountains where we were and this suggested we drifted right.

The magnificent view from The Edge!

A hungry, tired and a lost animal is of no good and humans
are even worthless! So, we decided to unpack the food from our bags and hog on
them. First, the Rotis came out, soon followed by the scrambled eggs. Boy! They,
to me looked like the best meal I could ever have in my life! The scrambled
eggs were soggy. The water and oil in them floated and the scrambled eggs sank
down. There was no place for royalty or choices. This, was going to translate
into our energy for the rest of the trip and we had to drive it down our food
pipes. Surprisingly, it didn't taste as odd as it looked. People like me can
eat anything without complaints when needed and this scored a good 7/10, in my
opinion!

With renewed spirits and energy, we resumed the trek. In
about 45 minutes, we arrived at a decline and the next mountain had a flat
faced cliff! Wow, this was just what the doctor ordered! We had 2 options ahead
of us:

1.To take an immediate left on this mountain, take
a right where the decline ends and then climb up the next mountain on a steep
incline, which would range around 3-4kms of strenuous walking.

2.Get down this mountain’s decline and scale the
flat face, up the next mountain to reach its peak. This would mean, less than
1km, but a very very risky option, considering the kind of ordeal we were put
through.

“The
choices you make in your present will set in motion, the turn of events in
the future. It will decide if you’ve to only spar with your opponent or lance
through his heart”

Distance to cover-
No guessing now, especially after all the turn of events!

We couldn't risk walking any further. We had already been
walking for over 25 kilometers on harsh terrain with sore feet. Our shoes
hadn't been taken off for 24 hours! So we chose option 2. We decided we’d take
the shorter-harder route. The decline was fun, but to scale the next mountain
was quite a task. Most of us were tested beyond our limits and my thighs were
at the brink of giving up!

Relief!

Somehow, we made it to the top of the mountain safely.
Almost as if my limbs were cut-off, I felt a sharp surge through my thigh! I
knew it was a cramp right that instant. I naturally sweat twice as much as a
normal person and this took a toll on me. The dehydration forced a cramp. Lucky
for us and our tired muscles, we had enough water to replenish our systems
with! Two such stops and we were running on empty bottles. By now, we hit
familiar ground. We could see the river taking the ‘S’ turn and this was the
Kodak moment! Our faces lit up and we were beyond happy. Our muscles were
giving up and my cramp decided to tease me again; everyone was tired! We ran
out of water, so the only option we had, was to eat/lick dry Glucose.

Akkamahadevi caves. The flat slab always enthralls me.

The glucose pack was ripped open with utmost brutality and
trust us, glucose is a life saver! All these years, we had been eating and
drinking glucose like a cool drink. It really is instant energy! We could feel
it. We felt our sinews strengthening comparable with Popeye gulping a tin of
spinach. None could stop us, none could
come in between us and Akkamahadevi now. Like Juggernauts, we got back on track
and made the descent to the Akkamahadevi caves. The thousands of Bats were a
welcome sight. We drank river water at the temple and marched on to the river
bank. A coracle came by and we got into it in a jiffy. The 15 minute coracle
wade was amazing! The cool breeze and the familiar mountains, the deep river
and the greenery parched our tired souls.

Our ride. The Coracle!

Slight Drizzle and a coracle ride amid complete peace. Pure Bliss!

Time check- 10:10
AM.

Weather Check- Slight
Drizzle.

Light check- A
little dark, considering the time.

Gear Check- Still
all good.

Boot Check- Lying
down in the corner of none-of-our-business!

Health Check- Everyone
tired, dehydrated, hungry and sleepy!

Distance to cover-
0kms.

We got to the Ashram in no time and almost as if part of a
perfect script, it began drizzling! We quickly spoke with the local fishermen
and asked them some fish for us. Fish is a must have, every time we go to
Akkamahadevi. Every new visit is a new record for the best fish. The best ever. Possibly the best we
will ever have!

The hospitality at the Ashram was spectacular as ever! I've
never seen levels of courtesy and hospitality max out from the human kind,
except at this place- EVERY SINGLE TIME! I am pretty sure the rest of our team
would vouch for it as well.

We freshened up a little, changed into different clothes and
crashed! We all had dreamless, pure sleep at the ashram for an hour or so. Fish
was ready, but we had to eat it outside the ashram, respecting the Ashram’s
traditions. We had our lunch as well - the best ever sambar rice!

If things weren't eventful and eons beyond interesting and
adventurous already, it dawned on us that we only have covered half the
distance. Our final destination as per the plan was Kadalivanam. Now, Kadalivanam is supposed to be a good 7-8
kilometers from the Ashram and half the distance was a steady climb. I knew for
sure that I would slow them down or perhaps even put things at risk if my
cramps got worse. I told them that I’d stay back at the Ashram and that they
can continue with the trek if they can. I also advised against it, because of
inclement weather conditions and a 72 hour thunder shower prediction. This
would be unknown territory and deeper into the jungle that we’d be venturing
into and it’s never safe.

After much discussion and a little argument, we decided that
the trip ends at the Ashram and no further and that was a decision taken in
unison. Well, almost! We watched the Ashram Peahen, clicked some pictures and listened to it buzz for a while.

The Ashram Peahen!

4:00 pm: We got
down the stairs and took the coracle back to the ferry pad at Akkamahadevi.
Since a return trek wasn't possible because of our physical conditions, we
decided we’d much rather enjoy a boat ride all the way! We boarded a ferry and
bought tickets for Domalapenta. After a 1 hour soothing ride, we got down at
Domalapenta.

Eye-treats while travelling in the ferry.

Another Eye-treat!

The fun part about getting down at Domalapenta and not
Srisailam was--- Zia and Prashant apparently wanted ‘one-last’ adventure and may
be an ulterior motive to torture me. Chandra and VJ’s neutral stands on this
decision is worth mentioning, for it contributed to pushing everyone’s physical
limits. Mine especially, with a super painful cramp. Domalapenta is much closer
to the place we parked the car at, but reaching the road from the ferry point
is the real task. About 1 to 1.5 kms of steady steep climb is what we had to
endure to reach the road. After halting on our tracks a zillion times, we
finally made it to flat, populated land.

6:50 PM: We
reached the main road and hit the first shop we saw. Appy, Maaza, Slice, Frooti
and every liquid drink was ordered. Our life was being pulled back from the
depths of despair, until we breathed normally. We kept waiting for the bus and
it never came, until one arrived at around 7:45PM. It was full, but we squeezed
ourselves and our gear in. The 30 minute drive to Vatavarlapalli felt like 5
minutes when we looked out our tired, dreary and surprised faces.

This stare and laugh went on till we reached Vatavarlapalli.
Our gear went back into the Beast’s back and we drove straight to Mannanur,
booked a room and we had a singular thought in our heads-

“We had one heck of an
adventure! Scary, Fun, Beautiful, Painful and Refreshing.”

The cover picture of the trip! Isn't it splendid?Picture courtesy- Zia

Completely unplanned and with us just about prepared for it.
Our false pride about knowing the jungle was completely destroyed and nature
once again proved its supremacy over everything and projected two words in True
HD- ‘I PREVAIL’!!

This trip couldn't have happened without anyone in the
current group. Kudos to everyone for sticking as a unit and not panicking, no
matter what the situation was like J

L-R: Zia, VJ, Chandra, Rohit & Prashant!

“Nature
has a billion ways to shock, surprise and entice us. One instant, it’s a
breeze, and a storm in another! Either ways, it always commands respect.”

@Anonymous- Thank you! I'm happy you found it nice! :)There are two ways to the cave:1) Go to SriSailam, take the Cable Car to the docks and hire a boat to Akkamahadevi. Takes between 1-1.25 hrs.2) Board a bus and disembark at the Trek start point between Vatvarlapalli and Domalapenta on the highway. Walk 7 kms to reach Akkamahadevi. This is the one I'd prefer. More happiness :)

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I can't explain myself. A freak or a superhuman-- The choice's yours!!
No one has come to know the real me nor has anyone come to comprehend the kind of person I am....I guess this part is best left UNTOUCHED!! ;-)